


Life Was But A Number

by Titti



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-28
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2019-04-29 01:57:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14462559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Titti/pseuds/Titti
Summary: Life was but a number, made up by days and weeks building up to an eternity together.





	Life Was But A Number

Draco was utterly bored. Twenty-six years old, good looking, rich and living a life of leisure. It should have been perfect, but there was no challenge, no stakes. Life dragged on, day after day, without any excitement. Once in a while he consulted for the Ministry or Gringotts, but even his interesting (and legal) journey into the dark arts were too brief. He need something to do.

"Darling, there's something you should see," Narcissa said as she opened the door to the study. "The Ministry sent something that might interest you." She waved a hand and a house elf entered. He put down the object and took away the sheet, revealing a standing mirror.

"What did your lousy husband do to me?" The man in the mirror screamed.

"Draco, meet Sirius Black." She handed Draco a letter. "This came from the Ministry for you. Now, I'll leave you to it, before I break the mirror."

Draco tried not to laugh, while he opened the letter and read it. "You were at the Ministry and fell through the veil, do you remember that?" he asked while he scanned for the information he needed. "Apparently when they brought this mirror into the Department of Mysteries, there was some strange occurrence, indoor lightening, moving from the veil to the mirror and then you appeared." He finally looked up and stared at the man. "They suspect Dark magic and they want to know how to end it."

"They hired you to kill me," Sirius said as the realisation sunk in. 

Draco grinned. "They hired me to solve the problem. I don't think they'll like my solution."

* * *

"If we consider the properties of the mirror as reflective-"

"Shut up," Sirius growled. "It's been three bloody weeks and you keep talking about theories and possibilities. Just do something already."

Draco stopped in front of the mirror and raised an eyebrow. "Rushing in and hoping for that best. Wasn't that the brilliant plan that got you into this situation in the first place? Or was it that one that got you in Akzaban? How about we try a different strategy and find a solution before causing more problems?"

"Why do you care?" Sirius asked. "You want to kill me."

Draco shook his head. "I never said that. You thought that. I want to get you out of the mirror, and no one wants to kill you or send you back. It's a new world, don't you know? Oh right, you wouldn't know. Potter is an Auror, Shacklebolt is Minister and plenty of your friends are in power."

"It still doesn't explain why you care," Sirius answered.

"It's an interesting problem and I enjoy complicated magic. Also you would be the last of the Black line. I have every intention of bringing you back alive." He smirked. "You're not too bad to look at either, even if your ranting is getting repetitive and even offensive."

"You're a Slytherin snake-"

"You can insult my house, my family, my father, and whatever else, do not make comments about my sexuality. I'm not a ponce, a poof, or any of the other things you've said. I'm bisexual. I like men and women. My parents know and there's nothing wrong. That's the one thing you can't insult. Everything else-" He shrugged. "Nothing I haven't heard before." With that, he went back to the books, trying to find a way to free Sirius

* * *

"Ninety-three, ninety-four, one-"

Draco snapped when Sirius started counting for the fifth time. "What in bloody hell are you doing?"

"Ninety-four days I've been here." He was currently sitting inside the mirror. "I can't eat, sleep, feel, or do much of anything. I exist and I've been here for ninety-four days. This feels like Azkaban."

Draco got up from the chair and crouched in front of the mirror. He pressed his hand against the mirror. "I will find a way to get you out. I promise," he said gently. 

Sirius pressed his hand against Draco's. "I can't feel you."

Draco sighed. "I know. The spell connected the mirror with the veil, a doorway to another dimension. I'm trying to find a spell that opens a connection to our dimension and you can step out. I will find it."

"Why do you care?" Sirius asked.

Draco smiled. "You ask me every day." He had talked about magic, bloodlines. Sometimes around week five, he'd mentioned that they were family. "Because I actually like you. Once you stop acting like a Gryffindor arse, you are pretty amusing. You're witty, snotty, and as much as you'd like to pretend that you're very different from me, you really aren't."

"How dare you!" Sirius asked annoyed.

"Stop pretending," Draco said with a snort. "It's just me and you in here. I've listened to you complain about Molly Weasley, her family, Dumbledore, Mundungus Fletcher and pretty much everyone else you know, with the exception of Potter. You've complained about the room, the décor, the cut of my robes. You have an opinion on everything, the way every rich pureblood does."

"I'm not like you," Sirius repeated. "I don't kill innocent people."

"You're right. I haven't killed anyone at all," he said, "but I hear you weren't as innocent back in 1980, so please spare me the accusation about being a Death Eater and all of that. Yes, I was. I was marked. I was young and the alternative was letting my parents die. Not my finest moment, but I'd do anything to protect them."

"What you're saying is that you are really as loyal as a Hufflepuff," Sirius said, grinning.

Draco snorted. "Sure, keep insulting me and I might not find a way out from that mirror."

Sirius looked at him for a moment and then shook his head. "No, I trust you will."

* * *

Draco was sitting on the floor next to the mirror, resting his back against the couch, eyes closed. The only light in the room came from the fireplace. A record was playing on the gramophone. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

"You're trying," Sirius said.

Draco smiled. "You're usually not the patient one."

"No, but it's been a hundred and thirty-two days, and you've worked on this bloody mirror every day I've been here. You barely go out with friends or do anything fun. It's been over four months. Maybe you should take a day off, clear your mind."

Draco opened his eyes and stared at Sirius. "I don't want to leave you alone."

"You used to, remember? Turn off the lights, closed the door and go to your room," Sirius pointed out.

"That was when you were a bastard and every other word was an insult. We didn't know each other back then," Draco answered. "It's different now."

"We're friends," Sirius finished for him.

Draco smiled. "I suppose you could say that."

"What would you call say otherwise?" Sirius called.

He thought for a moment and shrugged. "I don't know. I've never dated a man in a mirror. Different. Challenging. Limiting. Those are all words that would apply."

"To us dating?" Sirius asked, confused. "I'm not- I didn't-"

Draco laughed. "The great Sirius Black is speechless."

"I was kicked out of my house because I'm gay. Couldn't have a gay heir, and you talk about dating like-"

"Like it's normal?" Draco said. "Well, it's not, but my parents love me and accept me."

"I never liked your father," Sirius said, "but at least he's done something right."

Draco nodded. "Something, not everything, but there's no need to rehash that. So will you go out with me?"

Sirius looked at Draco for a moment and then nodded. "I think I will."

* * *

"I got it!"

Sirius opened his eyes and stared at Draco. "You… are you sure?"

Draco grinned, eyes twinkling. "It only took one hundred and seventy-three days." He took out his wand and stepped in front of the mirror. "Here goes nothing." He cast the incantation and two tongued light hit the mirror and seemed to go inside, wrapping around Sirius' reflection and pulling him out.

Sirius stumbled out, fighting to keep his balance and stay upright. He patted himself down, almost as if he couldn't believe that he was really solid, and then he reached for Draco and rested his hand on Draco's cheek. "You really did," he said in awe.

"I told you I would," Draco whispered. "Six months, Sirius. Six long months, but you're back now and you can do anything you want. You're finally free."

Sirius wrapped his arms around Draco and kissed him, before pulling back. "Do you know what's the first thing I'll do?"

Draco smiled. "You'll go see Potter."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Fine, you know me too well. First, I'll go see Harry, but what's the second thing?"

"You'll take a shower?" Draco suggested with a smirk.

"Now you're just being a smart arse," Sirius answered, but he was grinning.

"I never said you have to take it alone," Draco pointed out.

Sirius groaned. "You'll kill me, won't you?"

"Only with pleasure." Draco ran his hand over Sirius' arm. "So what is it that you will do?"

Sirius pressed their foreheads together. "I've hidden all my life, because of Azkaban, because I'm gay. No more. I'm coming out and I want to do it with you. I want to go out with you and I want to go to restaurants and Quidditch games. I want to do everything with you."

"A hundred years," Draco said.

"What's that?" Sirius asked with a frown.

Draco grinned. "How long we will have to do that everything."


End file.
